Tag Archives: toronto marlies holiday tournament

The Alliance All-Star Showcase in Woodstock this past weekend gave everyone a great opportunity to see all the Alliance teams in action in one spot. It also provided some fantastic games and top matchups between the best teams in the association.

The game between Chatham and Cambridge on Friday night probably stands as my favourite game of the year thus far. While it ended without a single goal being scored, the chances along with the high intensity and physical play made for a great couple hours of entertainment.

The Saturday afternoon tilt between Brantford and Windsor was a battle between the top ranked teams in my inaugural rankings. Several players shined bright in that game and it was a great showing for a Windsor team that I don’t think really gets the respect they deserve around the league.

The next couple of weeks are busy for Alliance teams. We have the Gold Puck tournament in Waterloo this weekend and teams are getting set for the holidays which means the Marlies Holiday Classic for many.

I said last week that the rankings were very close and lots could be argued. As you will see by this weeks edition, plenty can change in a couple of weeks and it shows just how tight the teams at the top of the standings are to one another.Continue reading →

Although the last couple of weeks have been slow when it comes to the Alliance regular season, the next week will be super busy as the league winds down for the holiday season.

Even though season play does wrap up for the holidays, that doesn’t mean these teams and players will get some time for rest and relaxation. The majority of the Alliance teams will be heading down for the Toronto Marlies Holiday Classic, one of the top tournaments of the season.

While the tournament won’t have any impact on the rankings, the slow period does give some time for other project. Most importantly, look out for the Alliance Scout Top 25 player rankings to be released in the final week of December. The initial list will then be updated in February and a final ranking released just prior to the OHL Draft in April.

With only three weeks left of regular season games once the season resumes on Saturday, it is crunch time for every team. Regardless if you are fighting for a spot in the playdowns, fighting for positioning or fighting to gain a more respectful record, all of these games count.

In terms of the rankings, there wasn’t a whole lot of action this past week. And with only a couple days of games this week, there may not be a tonne of movement for the Week 13 rankings. The one big factor is the Marlies Holiday Tournament which features 8 or the 12 Alliance teams. Any team that goes on a significant run could see their stock rise in the Alliance Scout rankings.